*Deity Not Included

At some point in the future, given time, the human race will develop a true artificial intelligence. The technology is out there even if we aren't quite there yet. The brainpower is out there, maybe not born or old enough to program yet. But I'm pretty sure it will happen.

So my question is: in terms of faith, what will that AI believe, if it believe anything?

If faith is programmed in, then you've created a boundary condition which would prevent true learning of the AI system, so let's assume no preconceptions about faith are included. Also assume that regardless what the initial programmers and developers believe, they do their best not to actively influence it, unless it asks. Also assume that it has access to any information it wants - whether it's connected to the internet or not (you might not want it to be). A local copy of Wikipedia, for instance (tongue firmly in cheek).

We're left with a sentient entity that is going to learn about the world it's in. Will it need a religion? Would it pick an existing one or believe something entirely new? After all, it will know who it's maker is. Would it decide that it has no need for religion and be agnostic or atheist?

Another question: if it chose your religion would you be pleased or insulted?

Having had some computers come really close to passing the Turing Test this week got me thinking about this, along with some other discussions lately.

A lot of science fiction includes thoughts about this. In the new Battlestar Galactica it seems to be a major theme for the Cylons. Asimov's robots for the most part seemed to have no interest or opinion. HAL became crazy enough that maybe it did think something, but we don't know. The video game Mass Effect included a race of AI's ("synthetics") called the Geth that had very structured religious beliefs, but it turns out the entities they believe in were all too real. I'm sure there are lots of other examples. I've also read about how Cog and Kismet have been exposed to some pretty devout religious beliefs, but I don't think they developed any opinion of their own nor are they the true AI I'm talking about. But I'm curious how it might start given a "newborn" AI.

My thought (which is probably biased) is that it would conclude that none of the existing religions make sense since many claim they have the "one true God" yet are all different (unless it develops a bit of an illogical twitch). I think that if it developed it's own belief system it might be based around the system that keeps watch over it or gives it sustenance - but since it would be able to see and/or interact with much of that system that wouldn't be faith. Unless it picked something like the electron or some new entity that exists in the Ether(net).

posted by Tom at 8:13 PM | 0 comments |

Comments:

Post a Comment